new owner: keep aftermarket muffler or factory muffler?

[overlord2121]

I am pretty sure I would like to switch back to the factory muffler. The aftermarket is kinda obnoxious on any highway stretch. Plus I'm getting old and my ears cannot handle the rumble. What exactly does that noise machine do? any significant performance advantages? It looks to be a carbon muffler. I plan on keeping the aftermarket intake, its a blue tube with a K&N filter. Will that help my MPG or hinder it?

Oh btw, the vehicle is a 2003 P5.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

the exhaust will give you a couple HP in high RPMs and lose you a couple ft/lbs in lower RPMs... this is assuming the tubing was upgraded. if not, the performance gain is negligible... both the intake and exhaust will probably hurt your fuel economy, but not noticably, and only if you're on it... just because they help the engine breathe... more air = more fuel...

 

[overlord2121]

is the cold air intake with K&N really necessary? i'm more in favor of MPG than performance. But if the cold air intake and muffler help performance significantly then I will not change either. I dont think the whole exhaust system was re-done, just the muffler.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

if its just the muffler, its mostly a noise maker, little if anything more. the K&N might actually give you some added torque... people will tell you both ways... some say 10hp, some say its all in your head.

 

[overlord2121]

interesting, I was just wondering because I have the option to switch both those components back to factory. I wanted to get an opinion before I do so. I think the muffler has to go, it just does not sound very professional.

Sound system: Oh how are the stock sound systems in the P5? for some reason radio station reception is not that great and the speakers seem mediocre. Also the CD will sometimes sound like it has static when a CD is playing. No issues with CD itself either. Any recommendations for improving radio and CD quality.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

swap the deck out for an aftermarket unit? My recommendations would be Alpine, Pioneer, and Kenwood, in that order.

 

[el_Don]

did you clean the cd player? helped mine

 

[overlord2121]

swap the deck out for an aftermarket unit? My recommendations would be Alpine, Pioneer, and Kenwood, in that order.

I'd like to keep the dash as original as possible. I feel aftermarket units detract from the interior design. Is there any Mazda upgrade units?

did you clean the cd player? helped mine

How would one go about cleaning it without taking it a part? compressed air?

 

[Wagonbacker9]

clean it with a slot loading cleaning CD...

my MSP came factory with an "aftermarket" deck... the P5 cd player is what I would call the best "stock" cd player that'll drop in... if nothing else you could pick up a newer/less used one... but it'd be luck of the draw..

 

[overlord2121]

I'll have to give that cleaning CD a go. I think the previous owner was a smoker. But all in all it's a fun car. Steering is by far the best feature. The throws are kinda long.

 

[Mike R]

I swapped back on my stock intake and muffler after a hundred thousand miles. Too loud, and it hurt the milage a bit. Surprisingly barely any change in power going back to stock. Just a slight bit less around 6K.

However I did keep the header and ported/VTCS removed intake manifold. That's where the power was really made anyway.

 

[overlord2121]

I swapped back on my stock intake and muffler after a hundred thousand miles. Too loud, and it hurt the milage a bit. Surprisingly barely any change in power going back to stock. Just a slight bit less around 6K.

However I did keep the header and ported/VTCS removed intake manifold. That's where the power was really made anyway.

yea, i'm definitely going to put the stock muffler back, what do you guys think of the K&N air filter and the cold air intake, I was told it was cold air intake, but i'm not sure what a cold air intakes look like. It's definitely a blue tube connected to the K&N and the throttle body. Should I keep that or change it to factory intake?

 

[overlord2121]

Does the air intake look correct? I'm thinking the air filter should be farther away from the engine. what i have seen on other cold air intake systems the filter is hidden below (cooler air) the engine bay

also can anyone tell me the brand of intake it is? i can't find a brand name.

 

[br289165]

Looks like a K & N Typhoon, but mine has a support bracket from the tube to the side of the block. It's ok to run like that, there's another tube that would run from where your filter is, down into the fenderwell on a K&N CAI. As it is now it's not really a cold air intake until you run it out of the engine compartment.

Does the air intake look correct? I'm thinking the air filter should be farther away from the engine. what i have seen on other cold air intake systems the filter is hidden below (cooler air) the engine bay

also can anyone tell me the brand of intake it is? i can't find a brand name.

 

[el_Don]

In this configuration it's being run as a short ram intake. Benefit of the short ram is that you don't run the risk of hydrolocking your engine.

 

[mrpopo573]

I understand getting rid of any boom tube droning exhaust...however my intake/exhaust combo has given me, for the past 6 months, an average of 26 city and 31 freeway mpg. Not much over stock, but it has not hurt it in anyway.

 

[overlord2121]

In this configuration it's being run as a short ram intake. Benefit of the short ram is that you don't run the risk of hydrolocking your engine.

Thanks for the technical help I did not know that, I was told it a was cold air intake. Just wikied short ram intake. Would the intake being so close to the engine negate some power? I'm more concerned with MPG and drive ability/reliability than power, so this really does not concern me.

I understand getting rid of any boom tube droning exhaust...however my intake/exhaust combo has given me, for the past 6 months, an average of 26 city and 31 freeway mpg. Not much over stock, but it has not hurt it in anyway.

what intake/exhaust combo do you have on your vehicle? Another quip I have with the muffler is that it causes the rear window to vibrate so much that when I look in my rear view mirror all I see are fuzzy cars (exaggeration, but you get the point).

 

[mrpopo573]

The PO installed a very basic ebay style JDM knockoff catback. Its relatively quiet, but rattles under the car from time to time. I am having a custom one made at my local shop asap. However, it doesn't shake anything in the car like you described. I have an AEM Short Ram Intake.

I also run fully synthetics, for my own peace of mind. I currently have 72,000 miles.

 

[P-Funk!]

Keep the intake.
The muffler is not a significant restriction in our exhaust. The first cat (and second cat too - but you must keep that one) .

A header and UD pulley on the stock exhaust gets gains without obnoxoius noise IMHO.

 

[el_Don]

Keep the intake, though you may want to switch out the filter for a new one. With these types of filters you don't have to replace them as often as regular paper filters as long as you clean and oil the filter from time to time. It would be best to get a new one and make sure that it's clean in order to ensure the life span of your Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor.